Member Review

A domino effect application on WWII years and beyond.

The book's title 'Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Hirohito and Hitler: What Might Have Happened if the A-Bomb Had Been Ready Early' by Jim Mangi hints directly at what the book is all about, an alternative reality of the year 1945 and beyond. As the author states from the start, it's not historical fiction. All people are actual historical figures who act in the book according to their characters, expertise, and political ambitions. All events are highly probable and can be traced down to one specific moment: 'US President Roosevelt appointing one agency scientist Charles Mendenhall (a real, forceful, person) instead of Lyman Briggs (a real, not so forceful bureaucrat) to chair the Uranium Committee.' Thus, the book raises a question of what role one person and his skills can play in shaping history - and saving or dooming thousands of people. Using the domino theory, Jim Mangi projects the consequences of the early use of the atomic bombs across several decades. His study encompasses all war theatres, multiple countries, and different spheres of political interests. Written in a comprehensive, popular-science style, the book can be helpful for historians and laypersons interested in history.

The author divided the book into three parts. In great detail, the first one explores the path that led to the US decision to work on the A-bomb's creation, as well as explains the mechanics of the A-bomb. This part speculates the immediate results of using the bombs both on Germany and Japan. The second part deals with years up to 1960 in what were the Asian and Pacific war theatres.

For my subjective taste, Jim Mangi got too immersed into the specifics of the space and armament races in the book's third part. Names of the missiles and satellites, freely thrown around, plus the jumps between feuding superpowers, the US and USSR; everything complicates the chronology of events. The created timeline is very natural; that's the book's strong side. But suppose a reader with no previous knowledge of the XXth century history wants to compare the real reality with the alternative reality (tautology here is deliberate). In that case, the book does not sufficiently help achieve that goal. The table of what happened is at the end of the book, with references to it on almost every page. It would be useful to place it before the story or use footnotes to describe the actual events for instant comparison.

I can recommend Jim Mangi's research as an engaging look at WWII and post-WWII years and a guide for historical fiction writers. The what-ifs have the potential for further development into full-scale stories.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.